Woodland, Washington, is located on the Lewis River at Lewis River Mile (RM) 6.5, upstream from the Lewis River's junction with the Columbia River at RM 82.
A broad floodplain lies between the community and the Columbia River.
North of Woodland is the Washington community of Kalama and south of Woodland is the community of Ridgefield.
Across the Columbia is located the Oregon communities of St. Helens and Columbia City.
In 1850 the site was claimed by Squire Bozarth who called it "Woodland Farm". The name was shortened when the town was established.

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Woodland, Washington.
Image taken March 29, 2007.

Early Woodland ...

In 1845 Adolphus Lee Lewis, a retired employee of the Hudson's Bay Company and for whom the Lewis River is named, took up a land claim on property east of the present day city of Woodland.

The area was originally known as "Pekin" when the Pekin Post Office was opened (in 1867 according to one source while another source says the Pekin Post Office was established in 1854 by Jefferson Huff). Pekin was approximately three miles south of present-day Woodland, on the north bank of the Lewis River. The post office was discontinued in 1886.

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management, General Land Office Records, show a Jefferson Huff and Sutilda Huff being issued a land title on April 28, 1865, for 289.17 acres of parts of T5N R1W Sections 9 and 16, under the 1850 "Oregon-Donation Act". This is north of present-day Woodland.

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management, General Land Office Records, show a Milly H. Bozarth and a Squire Bozarth being issued a land title for the area of Woodland on May 11, 1877, for 604.01 acres of parts of T5N R1W Sections 13, 14, 18, 19, 23, and 24, under the 1850 "Oregon-Donation Act".
Squire and Milly Bozarth named their place "Woodland Farm" because of the surrounding stand of fir trees.

In 1881 Squire and Milly's son, C.C. Bozarth, opened a store on the Lewis River and named it "Woodland" after his father's farm. It was the first store in the new community. In 1882 it began serving as a post office. The first hotels and restaurants were built in the 1890's.

In 1889 the settlement of Woodland was platted by A.W. Scott, and was incorporated as a town in 1906.

In October 1890 the Woodland Post Office moved one mile north of town to the home of Adolphus Lee Lewis and was re-named "Kerns". One month later, Christopher Bozarth, the original postmaster of the Woodland post office, re-established another post office by the name of Woodland in November 1890. Lewis continued the Kerns post office until
1906.

During this era there were daily stops at Woodland by the steamers "Alarm" and the "Lucy Mason". There was also railroad survice from Kalama, Washington to Portland, Oregon, with a stop at Woodland. In 1913, the Lewis River bridge was built at Woodland. Prior to that time, there was only ferry service across the river. The present bridges where 1-5 crosses the Lewis, and the dike creating Horseshoe Lake were begun in 1940.

Street Scenes ...

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Woodland street scene.
Image taken March 29, 2007.

View looking at the south side of Davidson Avenue. Blue building (furthest) is the Moose Lodge, originally a drugstore and built in 1905. Next in line is the Masonic Lodge building, the original home of the IOOF. Closest is the "Manring Building", built in 1910 and currently under renovation.

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Woodland street scene.
Image taken March 29, 2007.

The "painted building" was built in 1911 by P.A. Blue, and was a general mercantile. The mural on its west side depicts early 1900s Woodland.

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Woodland street scene.
Image taken March 29, 2007.

The "painted building" was built in 1911 by P.A. Blue, and was a general mercantile. The mural on its west side depicts early 1900s Woodland.

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Moose Lodge 2394, Woodland, Washington.
Image taken March 29, 2007.

The building now housing the Moose Lodge was built in 1905 and was the first certified drugstore in Woodland.

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Mother and Wagon, Woodland street scene.
Image taken March 29, 2007.

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Building remodeling, Woodland, Washington.
Image taken March 29, 2007.

Known as the "Manring Building", this building was built in 1910 and is currently under renovation. Throughout its history it has housed various businesses including taverns, meat packers, and offices.

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Woodland Grange, Woodland, Washington.
Image taken March 29, 2007.

The site of the current Grange Hall was once the location of the Hopf Hotel. In 1906 the Hopf Hotel hosted Woodland's first telephone. This building burned in 1908 and the Martin Hotel was built on the spot.

The Hulda Klager Lilac Gardens are located on the west side of Woodland, near the junction of the Lewis River with the Columbia. The gardens are visited by more than 25,000 people per year, and are a tribute to Hulda Klager, who spent her lifetime advancing the varieties of lilacs.
In 1975 the Hulda Klager Lilac Gardens was added to the National Register of Historic Places (Building - #75001847).
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The Lewis River Floodplain extends five miles along the Washington shore, from the mouth of the Lewis River at Columbia River Mile (RM) 87.5, to downstream Burke and Martin Islands, at RM 82.5. The community of Woodland lies along the right bank of the Lewis River where the Lewis leaves the Cascade foothills and the floodplain begins.
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The Lewis River Floodplain gives the community of Woodland many small sandy beaches bordering the Columbia River.

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Beach, Woodland, Washington.
View looking across the Columbia River towards Columbia City, Oregon, from beach off of Dike Road, Woodland, Washington.
Image taken July 24, 2005.

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Columbia River beach at Austin Point, Woodland, Washington.
Image taken March 29, 2007.

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Columbia River from Martin's Bar, Woodland, Washington.
Image taken October 16, 2014.

From the Journals of Lewis and Clark ...

Clark, November 5, 1805 ...

Rained all the after part of last night, rain continues this morning, I [s]lept but verry little last night [Post Office Lake, Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge] for the noise Kept dureing the whole of the night by the Swans, Geese, white & Grey Brant Ducks &c. on a Small Sand Island [one of the islands of the Ridgefield Refuge] close under the Lard. Side; they were emensely noumerous, and their noise horid- we Set out <at about Sun rise> early here the river is not more than 3/4 of a mile in width, passed a Small Prarie on the Stard. Side [quite possibly the location of today's Campbell Lake] passed 2 houses about 1/2 a mile from each other on the Lard. Side a Canoe came from the upper house, with 3 men in its mearly to view us, passed an Isld. Covered with tall trees & green briers [Bachelor Island] Seperated from the Stard. Shore by a narrow Chanel at 9 [8?] miles [Lake River or Bachelor Island Slough] I observed on the Chanel [Lake River or Bachelor Island Slough] which passes on the Stard Side of this Island [Bachelor Island] a Short distance above its lower point is Situated a large village [Cathlapotle Village, near where Lewis and Clark camped on March 29, 1806, a place now known as Wapato Portage], the front of which occupies nearly 1/4 of a mile fronting the Chanel, and closely Connected, I counted 14 houses in front here the river widens to about 1 1/2 miles.
...
about 1 1/2 miles below this village on the Lard Side behind a rockey Sharp point [Warrior Point, Sauvie Island], we passed a Chanel 1/4 of a mile wide [Multnomah Channel] which I take to be the one the Indian Canoe entered yesterday from the lower point of Immage Canoe Island [Hayden Island, at this point Lewis and Clark had not discovered Hayden Island and Sauvie Island were two separate islands]
a Some low clifts of rocks below this Chanel [St. Helens, Oregon],
a large Island Close under the Stard Side opposit [Lewis River floodplain, home of Woodland, Washington, possibly more of an "island" in 1805 ???], and 2 Small Islands, below [today's Burke and Martin Islands], here we met 2 canoes from below,- below those Islands a range of high hills form the Stard. Bank of the river [Martin Bluff], the Shore bold and rockey, Covered with a thick groth of Pine
an extensive low Island [Deer Island], Seperated from the Lard side by a narrow Chanel, on this Island [Deer Island] we Stoped to Dine I walked out found it open & covered with <Small> grass interspersed with Small ponds, in which was great numbr. of foul, the remains of an old village on the lower part of this Island, I saw Several deer
...
below the lower point of this Island [Deer Island] a range of high hills which runs S. E. forms the Lard. bank of the river the Shores bold and rockey & hills Covered with pine,
[Lewis and Clark are passing Goble, Oregon, and the area around the Trojan Nuclear Power Facility
The high hills leave the river on the Stard. Side a high bottom between the hill & river [Kalama, Washington]. We met 4 Canoes of Indians from below, in which there is 26 Indians, one of those Canoes is large, and ornimented with Images on the bow & Stern. That in the Bow the likeness of a Bear, and in Stern the picture of a man- we landed on the Lard. Side & camped [near Prescott Beach, Oregon] a little below the mouth of a creek [Kalama River] on the Stard. Side a little below the mouth of which is an Old Village which is now abandaned-;
here the river is about one and a half miles wide. and deep, The high Hills which run in a N W. & S E. derection form both banks of the river the Shore boald and rockey, the hills rise gradually & are Covered with a thick groth of pine &c. The valley [Columbian Valley] which is from above the mouth of Quick Sand River [Sandy River] to this place may be computed at 60 miles wide on a Derect line, & extends a great Distanc to the right & left rich thickly Covered with tall timber, with a fiew Small Praries bordering on the river and on the Islands; Some fiew Standing Ponds & Several Small Streams of running water on either Side of the river; This is certainly a fertill and a handsom valley, at this time Crouded with Indians. The day proved Cloudy with rain the greater part of it, we are all wet cold and disagreeable- I saw but little appearance of frost in this valley which we call <Wap-pa-too Columbia> from the root or plants growing Spontaniously in this valley only
...
We made 32 miles to day by estimation-

All Lewis and Clark quotations from Gary Moulton editions of the Lewis and Clark Journals, University of Nebraska Press, all attempts have been made to type the quotations exactly as in the Moulton editions, however typing errors introduced by this web author cannot be ruled out; location interpretation from variety of sources, including this website author.